Finding You in a Crowded Hallway
by wheredoesithurt
Summary: Emma and Manny are finally dating, but can they keep their secret relationship a secret for long? And what will everyone think when they find out the truth? How will they cope? Drama, Romance, and Secret Make-Outs in the school basement. Sequel to SI.
1. Prolouge

A/N: Alright, here we go. Sick Inside Part Deux. I know it has been so long. This semester has been crazy, and I'm so thankful that it's Winter Break and I have an entire month to sit here, read fanfic, celebrate the holidays, and write like there's no tomorrow. I really hope you guys like this. It's only the Prolouge. It can be read as if it isn't a sequel to something, also. I already have many chapter typed up and ready to post and many more chapters that I have handwritten that I wrote in Psych when I should have been listening. Writing seemed more important at the time though, and this story won't leave me head. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!

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**Finding You in a Crowded Hallway**

Emma Nelson tossed in her bed, sweat pooling on her forehead, her eyebrows knit closely together as she grimaced in her sleep. It was one of those running dreams, again. She's running down the endless hallways of Degrassi High School, all her peers pointing and laughing at her.

She doesn't understand why at first. She feels tears start to flood her eyes as she tries to run past all of them, trying to get away. But she can't. She's screaming now, asking them why they were laughing at her, when Manny is suddenly by her side, smiling.

"Hey, babe," she says, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her soundly on the lips in front of the entire school. Emma pushes away from her roughly, ignoring the hurt look on Manny's face. She hears someone call her a lesbo in the background, but she can't tell who it is.

"What's wrong?" Manny asks, giving her a confused look. "Emma?"

"Make them stop," she breathes, her voice hoarse. She closes her eyes, shutting them tightly, the pressure in her chest mounting. She feels as if she's going to break, like one of those porcelian dolls. She'd felt fragile before, especially when she was in the hospital, but it was never like this. It was as if all those people could crush her at any moment without caring.

--

"Emma!"

Her eyes widened, the bluriness fading until she could see Manny's concerned expression above her. Lifting herself into a sitting position, she rubbed the sweat off her forehead, breathing heavily. Her stomach was growling at her angrily.

The worst part about recovery was getting use to the hunger signals again. They made her feel out of control at times. It was like, as soon as she started eating again somewhat normally, her body jumped into overdrive until she felt even more hungry than she did while she were restricting.

"You okay?" Manny asked while reaching over to the bedside table, grabbing the glass of water that was there and handing it to her friend.

Emma nodded. "Thanks," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "What time is it?"

"Three AM."

"Shit."

Manny laughed, resuming her spot in the middle of the bed, her legs crossed underneath her.

Emma finished her water and handed it back to Manny, who set it back down on the table. This was how it normally was these days, well, if Manny was awake this early in the morning. Emma smiled at the thought. Manny was normally asleep and snoring.

"How long have you been awake?"

"I haven't slept yet," she said, looking down at her hands.

Emma raised an eyebrow, concerned. "You haven't? Why?"

"Just thinking about tomorrow." She gave a small smile. "I'm nervous."

"Since when has Manny Santos ever been nervous for the first day of school?" Emma asked, laughing. It was almost as if the entire nightmare had been pushed to the back of her mind.

"Since we," she pointed back and forth between herself and Emma, "became... something more than friends."

Emma sobered instantly, pressing her lips together. "Oh."

"Yeah," Manny said awkwardly. If anyone ever said a relationship was easy, boy, were they wrong. "So, we are, you know, more than friends, right?"

"Manny," Emma said, pouting. "I thought we already talked about all this."

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it. I said I didn't want to label it before, but I do. It's driving me crazy. I don't know even know if this is real or not." She frowned.

"Give me your hand."

"What?" Manny looked up at the request, confused. "Why?"

"Please?" Emma said, giving a small smile. Manny sighed and gave in, knowing she couldn't argue. "I promise it's nothing bad."

Manny raised an eyebrow as Emma intertwined her fingers with hers, leaning down to press her lips against the palm of her hand.

"Em, what are you-"

She stopped as Emma's mouth traveled upward along her forearm, her lips caressing the sensitive skin there. Her heart began to beat like it always did when she was around her, quickly. Emma looked up for a moment, smiling. Then, she pressed a kiss against her shoulder, and Manny suddenly felt overheated. She was driving her crazy.

"Does that answer your question?" Emma asked, grinning up at her.

"Does that mean you're my girlfriend?" Manny retorted back, raising an eyebrow, her veins still pulsing under her skin. She could still feel Emma's lips there. It was a feeling that was engrained in her mind, never to be forgotten. She didn't think she could forget it even if she tried.

Emma bit her lip, her eyes wide. Manny had never said that word out loud before. They both had never been brave enough.

"Yes," Emma breathed, closing her eyes as she moved in closer, feeling Manny's breath against her cheek.

Manny's heart skipped for a second, and before she knew what she was doing, she had pressed her lips against Emma's forcefully, pushing her backwards onto the bed. She could hear Emma laugh from underneath her, her voice muffled as they continued to move backwards until Manny straddled her, their lips moving together quickly, passionately.

As the night continued on, both the dream and the nervousness over the next day were completely forgotten as Manny's lips continued down Emma's body, caressing her, making her feel like every nerve in her body was on fire.


	2. Being With You

"Hey, Emma."

Emma turned, facing away from her open locker. Her eyes narrowed.

"Peter," she said coldly. She faced her locker again, pulling out her books and shoving them in her backpack quickly.

"Look," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously. "I just wanted to come by and say that I'm sorry for last year."

She rolled her eyes, feeling slightly irritated. She hated to think about Sean and their whole relationship, especially when all she wanted to do was think about Manny.

"Fine," she said, sighing. "Apology accepted." She didn't feel like fighting with him, not today. She had enough on her plate as it was, no pun intended.

His eyebrows shot up. "That's it? Really?"

"Yeah," she said flatly, almost coldly. He didn't notice. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

"No, I'm just surprised. I never thought you'd forgive me, you know? Especially that easily." She could almost feel his uneasiness as he stood close to her.

Her fingers circled her small wrist, measuring the area there. Habit of stress.

"So, you planted drugs in my ex's locker. We broke up. Sean left anyway. I'm over it," she lied, her eyes never meeting his as she slammed her locker door shut.

God, where was Manny when you needed her? She could definitely use an escape goat right about now. She felt the pressure rising, the anxiety building in her head, making her feel breathless. She tired to breathe in slow and deep, trying to mimic exactly what her therapist had been teaching her. She wasn't going to have a panic attack or starve herself over something stupid like this.

"Oh," he said lamely, his voice wavering. He tried to swallow the guilt caught in his throat. "Okay."

"I have to go," she told him, continuing to zip up her backpack and throw it over her shoulder. She finally looked at him, one eyebrow raised, trying to appear calm and collected.

"Hey, wait," he said quickly. "Do you think we could, uh, be friends or whatever? I've changed, Em. Darcy- she's a godsend, really. She's helped me change, and I know I needed it. What I did to you, it was screwed up, I know, and all I want right now is a chance to make it up to you."

She suddenly felt guilty, also. What he had done was wrong, and she was still pissed at him for what he did to her and Sean. But at the same time, he and Manny had helped her through one of the hardest times of her life. He never left her once, even when she lied straight to his face about her eating habits and freaked out on him and her family that one night she had the panic attack. She was always afraid Peter would be disgusted with her when he found out, like what she did was freakish or something. He wasn't.

"Sure," she said reluctantly, letting out the breath she had been holding in. "I'd like that, Peter. I'll see you around."

He nodded as she left. The bell rang, and she sat down in her seat in Media Immersion. She felt an almost instant relief when Manny sat down next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" Manny asked, concerned, giving her a small smile.

The class became somewhat rowdy. Mr. Simpson had stepped out of the class for a moment, which Emma was thankful for.

"Where have you been?" Emma asked, her voice strained and her hands clutched tightly together in her lap. She knew she shouldn't be angry, not at Manny. But it was like instinct or reflex for her to worry.

Manny titled her head to the side, almost as if she was examining her, trying to figure her out. She was used to this though, her moods. "I was at spirit squad practice, remember? I text you and said I'd be late to class."

Emma frowned. "You promise?"

"Promise," Manny said, nodding her head. She gave her girlfriend a warm smile, and Emma visibly relaxed.

"Sorry," Emma said. "I'm just having a bad day."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma shook her head. "Not right now. Maybe tonight."

"Okay," Manny said reluctantly. She wanted to push her and make her tell her so that she could try and make it better, but refrained. She didn't want to jeopardize any progress that Emma had already made. She was doing so well. "Do you want to skip next period?"

"What?" Emma asked, her eyes wide. "We have History!"

"So?" Manny said, grinning as her girlfriend flushed, annoyed. "Come on, Em. Entertain me, just this once. It'll be fun."

Emma bit her lip, not knowing whether she should give in or not. But that was an open enough door for persuasion, and Manny already had her foot in.

"We can go down to the basement and make out."

Emma's eyes widened as she closed her hand over Manny's mouth, panicked. "Manny!"

"What?" she asked innocently, her voice muffled.

"Don't say that out loud," Emma told her as she rolled her eyes at Manny's antics.

"Why not? I thought you said we weren't keeping us a secret." Manny looked confused and hurt, and Emma felt the guilt creeping back up into her throat.

She stepped back, avoiding Manny's gaze and looking down towards the floor. "We're not. I just- I don't know why I said that. I'm sorry."

Manny gave a small, comforting smile. "Come on. Skip with me. Who needs History anyway? Especially when I have you."

Emma laughed, her cheeks red. "You're so cheesy."

"So?" she asked again, another cheeky grin spreading across her face.

"And you're a bad influence."

One eyebrow raised. "Is that a yes?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now shush, let's concentrate on at least one class today, okay?"

She turned back around in her seat, ignoring Manny's smirk. Mr. Simpson came back into the room minutes later and began teaching the class. Although she tried to pay attention, she couldn't help her mind from wondering and her eyes from glancing at the clock every few seconds, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring. And, uh, it definitely had nothing to do with Manny. Really.

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**A/N - **Thanks you guys for all the reviews/alerts! I appreciate them so much. So, Merry Christmas everyone. Here you go. The first real chapter of this story. Right now, it's mostly fluff. But just you wait. :)


	3. Devious

Emma wasn't sure why she was there exactly. If it had been last year, if it had been anyone but Manny, she never would have done this. But for some reason, she was here, in the dark Degrassi basement, listening to Manny as she breathed deeply next to her, so close that their lips were almost touching.

"Manny-" her voice was cut off by her girlfriend's lips, kissing her back forcefully as Manny pushed her up against the wall, her body almost molded to hers. Emma didn't think she could ever get use to this, use to the feeling of her best friend kissing her, touching her. It made her feel insane in most wonderful ways.

She could feel Manny smile into the kiss as her hands snaked around her neck. Their bodies were so close. She felt her heart thundering in her chest. She swore she could even feel the pulse in her legs, in her arms, in other places she didn't even want to think about, afraid that it'd scare her girlfriend off if she mentioned them. It was way too early for that, she decided.

Emma suddenly felt a vibration against her thigh, coming from Manny's jeans. Her girlfriend pulled back quickly, startled.

"Sorry," she said, laughing, but Emma ignored it.

"Who is it?" she asked, curious.

Manny raised an eyebrow, intent on continuing what they were doing earlier, but relented at Emma's expression. She opened her phone, reading over the text, then flipping it shut. "Darcy wants to hang out tonight."

She went in to kiss her again, but Emma backed away. "Is Peter going to be there?"

Manny shrugged. "Want me to ask?"

When Emma nodded, she reopened her phone, quickly texting Darcy back. "I won't go," she said. "If Peter is going to be there."

"I don't mind," she said. She opened her mouth to continue, but Manny intervened, quickly shooting back another comment.

"I'd rather hang out with you. I know you don't like to be around him."

Emma shook her head, but smiled, confusing her girlfriend. "I didn't mean I minded if you went without me," she said. "I meant I don't care if he's there."

"Really?" Manny asked, raising an eyebrow for the second time. "What changed your mind? I thought you hated the dirt he walked on."

Emma laughed. "I don't hate him," she said simply, calmly.

She didn't feel like telling Manny all the details about earlier, about all her mixed up feelings. She didn't want her to be concerned. If she was upset, she knew Manny would ask if she'd eaten that day. Not that she minded, of course. She found it comforting, knowing Manny was right there for her whenever she needed it. But this time, she didn't want her girlfriend to waste the energy over something so incredibly stupid.

"Okay, about earlier-"

Manny's phone went off, and she looked down at it, flipping it open. "She said 'Yes, is that okay?'. What were you saying?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "He just talked to me earlier when you were at practice. It wasn't any big deal."

She knew she shouldn't have said that. Manny's mouth fell open. "He talked to you? When? Why? What did he say? I'll kill him."

She didn't know why, but she laughed, smiling. "You're so cute," Emma said. "And you don't have to worry about me all the time, okay? I can take care of myself."

Manny ignored her. "What happened?"

"He apologized," she said, then looked confused. "Sort of. He said he wanted to make it up to me somehow."

"And you said yes?" her girlfriend asked, surprised.

Emma scoffed. "Of course not. I lied to him," she said, then calmed herself. "But I guess I can, I don't know, give him a second chance or whatever. He's not that bad, right?"

"You mean a fourth chance?"

Emma gently slapped Manny in the arm, grinning. "Yes, a fourth chance. Does that make me crazy?"

"No," Manny said, grabbing her hand and intertwining her fingers with hers. "But then again, you've always been crazy, haven't you?"

"Manny!"

"What?" she said innocently, fluttering her eyelashes at her. "You know I love you anyway. Plus, if you can get along with him, then so can I. Does this mean you're coming tonight?"

Emma nodded, somewhat reluctantly. She didn't want to see him, and on some level, she was slightly afraid hanging out with him up close and personal would stir those emotions again. If Manny saw that, she'd flip out all over Peter's ass. Emma smiled.

"Yeah, I'll go."

Manny's face brightened. She threw her phone down on her backpack, quickly advancing on her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Manny, I swear, you have more of a one track mind than a guy does," Emma complained, smiling.

"You love it."

She went to retort back, saying she did, indeed, love it more than anything, but Manny's lips shut her up nicely. Her girlfriend's hand caressed the side of her waist, and she suddenly felt breathless again.

The door rattled as someone pulled on the knob. Manny pulled away, and groaned. "I can't get any alone time with you, can I?"

Before Emma could answer, she wrapped a hand around her mouth, making sure she didn't make any noise as she quickly picked up her stuff and directed them out of the room, up the stairs.

Once they were in the hallway, Manny turned back toward her.

"So, tomorrow--" she drew out, the corners of her mouth drawing up. "Is History really necessary?"

Emma stood there for a moment, silent. Then, she raised an eyebrow, "Manny, we can't keep skipping History."

Her girlfriend's face fell instantly, wondering if she overstepped her boundaries.

"We have to vary it, you know. We don't want anyone catching on, especially since we almost just got caught. Good thing you're quick... and devious. Next time we skip English."

Manny smirked. God, her girlfriend was amazing.

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I know I said the drama was coming up this chapter. Well, I guess I let Manny and Emma get to me, because they obviously had a mind of their own. But, it's definitely the next chapter, I promise. Who knows, they might be a little daring, too... they might decide it's time to tell someone about them, since, you know, they're not secret or anything. And who knows, maybe those people won't like it so much. But like I said, who knows. :) Thanks again for all the reviews. You guys are more than wonderful, especially Joseph. Watch out over the next few days as I expect I'll be reading your work, and I'm sure it's going to be amazing. Also, if you have time (and you're into Twilight), head on over to my friend Tashiegurl's profile.


	4. Opening Up

It was only hours later when Emma found herself sitting at, surprising enough, The Dot. Manny sat to her right, smiling brightly, like the entire world was in her hands. Darcy and Peter sat on the other side. She noticed Peter kept sending glances her way, and she wasn't sure if she saw it right, but she swear she saw him send her a nervous smile, something which she ignored, unsure.

"We should definitely go see a movie sometime," Darcy said, grinning. "I'm totally free this weekend, and my parents are out of town, so I'm going to be totally bored."

"Peter could always keep you company," Manny said, shaking her eyebrows at the couple, more so Darcy, who blushed. This always caused her to laugh. It was so easy to embarrass her, which Manny loved doing.

Emma sent her a small smile, holding her hands in her lap. She felt slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't that she didn't like being there. It just felt so awkward, since it had been so long. Darcy seemed like the same girl, and if she was, then she wanted nothing more than to be her friend. Peter shifted in his seat at the comment, and Darcy gently cleared her throat.

"So, Manny, did you ever get with that guy you were talking about a while back?" Darcy asked, still red, trying to quickly change the subject.

Emma's head jerked, her eyes meeting Manny's, an eyebrow raised. She wasn't sure what to think, although she did trust her girlfriend completely. "Yeah, Manny, what guy?" she said, suddenly enjoying the awkward look on Manny's face. Emma smiled. "I'd love to hear all the details."

Only Manny noticed the sarcasm in her voice, but she turned away from Emma's line of vision. "We never got together. I, uh, found someone else to preoccupy my thoughts with."

Darcy's face brightened considerably. "Who?" she asked, excitement drowning out her voice.

"Yes, Manny," Emma said, smug. "Who is this mystery guy you haven't told us about?"

Manny discreetly hit her girlfriend with her foot, trying to get her to stop, blushing from all the attention. "It's nothing, really. I mean, yeah, anyway. So, this movie. We should definitely go sometime."

"What?" Darcy said, her voice loud. Emma noticed then that Peter was being particularly quiet, probably because she was there. "You have to tell us! When did you get so secret about all this, huh?"

Emma turned away from Peter's stare, fluttering her eyelashes at Manny, an exact copy of what her girlfriend did to her on a regular basis. If Manny hadn't been feeling so damn flushed at the moment, she would have been proud. "Yeah, it's totally unlike you, Manny. Friends don't keep secrets."

Darcy gave her a weird look this time, and Manny, more noticeably, bumped into Emma. "I don't want to say," she muttered, her eyes downcast.

Emma stopped all games then, her expression dropping. Manny noticed this out of the corner of her eye, and sighed, feeling guilty.

"Manny, come on," Darcy said, urging her friend. "We won't judge you. Right, Peter?"

Peter nodded, and Darcy smiled, leaning into him as he moved to put an arm around her.

"What if I told you," Manny started, her cheeks red, but her face pale. "It wasn't a guy?"

Darcy looked shocked for a moment, and Emma's eyes widened. She knew they weren't keeping them a secret, but actually hearing Manny saying something like that in front of other people was different. It felt undeniable real.

"Oh," Darcy said, looking down at her hands, frowning.

"I told you I didn't want to say anything," Manny kept going. "I hate this awkward silence, guys."

Darcy nodded. "I didn't mean it like that," she said softly. "I'm just shocked. I didn't expect you to say something like that. I'm sorry."

Manny shrugged, just as their waiter came toward them, handing them their food. "Thanks," she said brightly, trying to ignore the panic growing. She wasn't going to let them get her down, not when she had Emma as her girlfriend, not when she had the whole world in her hands, as Emma would say jokingly.

Emma tried to suppress a smile as she gently patted Manny's hand, letting her know that she was right beside her in more ways than one.

"Anyone want any fries?" Manny asked, shoving a few in her mouth.

Darcy shook her head. "Manny, can I say something?" When her friend shrugged, she continued. "I think it's great."

Emma, Manny, and Peter almost choked audibly at this as Peter jerked his head in her direction. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Finally, he speaks, Emma thought, rolling her eyes.

"I mean, if it makes you happy," Darcy said. "Then I think it's wonderful. Just as long as she doesn't hurt you or anything like that. In that case, Emma and I would have to kick her ass for you."

Manny laughed then at the irony, feeling as if she wasn't going to ever be able to stop, or breathe. "Oh, Darcy, you have no idea how much that means to me," she said through what sounded like a mix of sobbing and giggling. Although, Emma knew it was her way of laughing. She always cried when she laughed that hard. "Really, you have no idea."

Darcy gave her a confused look, but nodded anyway as Emma smiled.

She should have expected she'd be able to tell Darcy. The girl was accepting of anyone for anything, especially after the whole, uh, ski incident. Not that the ski incident was a good thing, but she figured it opened her eyes a little. And Peter couldn't be a totally bad guy if he helped her through the whole situation.

"But what about all those guys you dated?" Peter asked, finally decided to let them know his opinion.

Manny narrowed her eyes at him. "So?" she said, shrugging. "I liked them then. What does it matter now if I like girls?"

"But-" he continued, his eyes still wide. "But, how can you just change like that? I mean, one minute you're all into that one guy. What was his name?"

"Damien," Darcy supplied, then blushed, looking down.

"Yeah, Damien. And now you're into girls. Maybe I'm just stupid or something-" Manny laughed. "But I honestly don't understand it, no offense."

"It's really not that weird," Manny said calmly, as if the idea was completely and utterly simple to her. Emma smiled. "I use to like guys, so what? They were fun. I had fun while it lasted. And then I fell in love with this girl. I can't help it if my heart and my hormones decide to go against me."

Peter went to speak again, looking more understanding now, but Darcy's mouth fell open. "Woah, you're in love with her?" she asked, shocked. "Who is it?"

Emma frowned. She suddenly felt very on the spot as Manny looked at her for guidance. She wanted to tell them desperately, to get it out in the open. But she was afraid. How would they react? Would they tell anyone?

Manny, somehow (and for that, Emma was thankful), picked up on this, and smiled, picking up her burger from the tray. "I don't want to jinx it," she said. "I really, really like this girl, and I don't want to screw it up. I'll tell you guys when I make sure it's cool with her, okay?"

"Why would-" Peter said, but Darcy interrupted, smiling at her with a romantic look in her eyes.

"Of course, I understand," she said. "This is so exciting. I want first details as soon as anything happens-- anything. Got it?"

Manny nodded, grinning, even though Peter still looked unsettled by the thought. She glanced over at her girlfriend, who looked pleased with her. Whew, everything was okay in the world, she thought with a sigh. "Of course, Darce. I'll text you as soon as she's cool with it, and you can meet her."

Darcy just smiled as she dug into her food.

"So, this weekend-"

And with that, the conversation drifted.

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A/N - Enjoy! As always, thank you so much for all the lovely reviews. Tell me what you think so far, and if there is anything you would like to see happen. Or, tell me if you think the characters are AU, or if it seems, to you, that the story isn't going anywhere. Thanks!


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